Sandra Korn, class of 2014 at Harvard, was invited to join TFA. She said no. She explains why here.
“For one, I am far from ready to enter a classroom on my own. Indeed, in my experience Harvard students have increasingly acknowledged that TFA drastically underprepares its recruits for the reality of teaching. But more importantly, TFA is not only sending young, idealistic, and inexperienced college grads into schools in neighborhoods different from where they’re from — it’s also working to destroy the American public education system. As a hopeful future teacher, that is not something I could ever conscionably put my name behind.”
Not only are young college graduates unprepared to teach, she writes, but they are being used to take jobs away from experienced teachers.
TFA’s association with privatization and standardized testing, she writes, is wrong. “In doing so, TFA is working directly against the interests of teachers, students, and communities alike. Neoliberal school reform is the true “educational injustice” here.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Congratulations to Sandra. She understands that 5 weeks of training is not enough to prepare young people to teach in some of the nation’s toughest schools. Harvard should be proud of her! I hope that she will continue her interest in education. We need more young people like her.
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Koch Brothers’ site to recruit “Generation Opportunity ” young people (college graduates) states quote: “Our generation is the most creative, entrepreneurial, technology-savvy America has to offer and together we can build a future of prosperity and opportunity”. These are the same people that came through the failing schools of the last 15 years? Or, did all their recruits go to Exeter or something? How can they sell two messages: “we are the most ….” but “all the schools are faiiing.” I can understand if they all went to Exeter while the unwashed went to public schools
Read more: http://generationopportunity.org/who-we-are/#ixzz2idwJGywO
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For many years it has been somewhat of a tradition in the United States to send an unprepared college graduate into the “inner city” to teach. I was one of those people in 1964. Few school characteristics have hurt poor children more than this unconscionable practice. Kudos to this young Harvard grad for seeing it for what it is.
It’s time to end the status quo of the unprepared teacher for urban schools. Let’s have high standards for ALL our teachers and professionally prepared teachers for ALL children.
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Maybe Wendy Kopp should have her degree revoked for her thesis topic (TFA) not being an original idea.
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Perhaps her thesis was based on “bringing the idea to scale.” (tongue in cheek)
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Kudos to this aware and courageous young woman.
An important front in the struggle to free the public schools from the yoke of the so-called reformers, among whom TFA is a linchpin, is to make the organization radioactive on campuses.
TFA should be targeted for leafleting and picketing whenever it shows up to recruit at colleges, so that students can be educated about its deceptive practices and pernicious effects.
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The rheephorm narrative—like a house of cards—is falling apart before our eyes.
The only question is how much damage they will do before supporters of a “better education for all” are able to clean up the messes the edufrauds have made and try to make genuine sustainable improvements.
Michael Fiorillo: excellent suggestion.
🙂
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She also probably understands that two years of teaching does not prepare or qualify her to shape education policy for generations to come.
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A+ work, Sandra Korn.
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Well said. Were that all students were that perspicacious.
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I appreciate that the message is beginning to trickle down. College can be a very insular environment. I’m glad this young woman is thinking beyond the cocoon.
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Soon after my son graduated from Harvard, he came to help me several times in my first grade class. It will not surprise any experienced teachers that I did not leave him unattended for one second. He was able to read a book and discuss topics with the children (with me sitting nearby) but that was about it. The idea that “anyone” can teach (poor kids) is so terribly offensive to the teachers and to students. They deserve better.
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Parents of special education students are given procedural safeguards to protect their child, so that their child receives free and appropriate education. The word appropriate could send TFA teachers and reformers all to jail. A student with a 5 week training course couldn’t posssibly delivery an appropriate education in the classroom. In a crash course, how much could one learn in differentiation, modification, cultural diversity, second language, various disabilities, classroom management, etc?
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